Purity of Spirit
Originally the CCS Joint Venture, the Purity of Spirit was a CCS-class Battlecruiser converted into use by the Lekgolo in 2552 by the Sangheili Armed Forces as part of an armament and cooperation agreement between Sanghelios and Te. Originally a part of the Covenant military, it suffered catastrophic damage during the Minorca campaign, and was scheduled for retirement. During the Great Schism and ensuing War of Vengeance, the ship was recommissioned as a part of the fledgling Te Defence Fleet, supporting an internal Mgalekgolo colony that operated the ship, serving in seven combat theatres during the conflict. After the War of Vengeance, the ship was decommissioned on Uhtua and would serve as the Sangheili Armed Forces' diplomatic embassy to Te. Construction Originally called the Joint Venture, the ship was commanded by Ship Master Zuro 'Xoramee from 2547 to 2551, during which time the warship participated in six engagements with UNSC Naval forces, twice against rebellious Heretic makeshift fleets, and assisted in the suppression of a Jiralhanae uprising on Warial, one of the moons of Doisac. During the skirmish in orbit around Doisac, in early 2548, the ship was part of a peacekeeping task force assigned to prevent orbital incursions on Doisac itself, with assistance from local Jiralhanae sloops. A number of rebel Jiralhanae teams managed to board the taskforce, capturing two of the ships and using them to deal significant blows to the others. Fighting off boarders and trying to avoid lasers and plasma torpedoes, Ship Master 'Xoramee managed to capture and execute the rebel boarders after evading the rebel ships, taking cover behind Teash, another moon, and effecting rudimentary repairs to slipstream communications equipment. Alerting the Fleet of Particular Justice to the situation, and the likelihood of escalation, the Cruiser guided in a thirty-strong fleet into ideal positions to take the mottley defending fleet by surprise. The smaller, more primitive, but quick and nimble Jiralhanae sloops assisted the larger, heavier armed, but slower Covenant cruisers as they commenced bombarding the moon from orbit. It deployed Special Operations Commandoes lead by Commander Qur'a 'Morhekee to capture the leaders of the uprising, and transported them to High Charity for execution as heretics and traitors. The Ship Master's superlative duty during this uprising earned him promotion to Fleet Master, and the Joint Venture was renamed Purity of Spirit. Spending time at the Cloistering Expectancy shipyards for refit and repair, the Purity of Spirit was deployed again in 2549 to excavate a Forerunner artefact in the Delta Pavonis system, under the oversight of the High Prophet of Regret. Managing to destroy the initial human defences, it provided overwatch as troop transports and carriers deployed dropships, invading the asteroid colony. When the UNSC 30th Fleet arrived, the Joint Venture was one of only three ships to survive, with the Infinite Sacrifice and the Enlightenment, both larger Carrier's. The remaining ships evacuated their troops, recovering the artefact and, against the wishes of the Fleet Master, Regret ordered the ships to abandon the remaining troops to reach High Charity and study the artefact. The Purity of Spirit would participate in the Battle of Minorca in 2551, as a part of the initial task force. Not anticipating the presence of human defenders, the fleet was caught unawares, the Supreme Commander killed by human warships, and the Purity of Spirit severely damaged, though not before deploying its dropships and insertion pods, ensuring the Covenant established a presence on the planet. Escaping through slipspace, ordering the rest of the fleet to do the same, the Fleet Master would return to High Charity, alerting them immediately to the failure of the fleet to secure the relics on Minorca. The Purity of Spirit, damaged on seventeen decks and with extreme damage to the shield systems, plasma torpedo launchers and pulse lasers, was deemed unfit for service by the Council of Masters, and was scheduled for decommission at the Sanghelios Orbital Graveyard. Recommission During the Great Schism, the obliteration of the Quarantine Fleet, the bulk of the Sangheili ships, meant that the Sangheili were hard pressed to field ships against the Covenant Loyalists, and were forced to press many hulls intended for decommissioning into active duty. The Purity of Spirit was one of these. Partial decommissioning had already commenced, with much of the core interior ripped out, and so it was decided to use the space to install several Lekgolo colonies, and to have the ship operated by a purely Lekgolo crew. The result was the largest gesalt intelligence known to the Covenant, inhabiting the ship from stem to stern, the separate disparate colonies eventually merging together. Networked to the ships computer, engineering, weapon and communication systems, the Purity of Spirit had many advantages over conventionally crewed ships - with a crew that responded at the speed of thought, its reaction times were 420% faster than any other ship, and its accuracy and the speed with which it acquired and prioritised its targets were improved by 230%. The ship carried a troop capacity of four hundred Lekgolo pairs, and was a part of the reformed Fleet of Benevolent Enlightenment in 2553. Deployed against Jiralhanae-controlled Covenant space forces, the Purity of Spirit performed incredibly well, decimating fleet formations and moving with speed and agility impossible for less capable ships. Under Fleet Master, later Supreme Commander, Zuro 'Dun Xoramee, its original Ship Master, the Purity of Spirit would see action against the Covenant Loyalists at the Battle of Installation 00, where it was one of very few ships to survive the battle against the Covenant and the Flood, and would pull back through the portal with the Shadow of Intent and the rest of the Sangheili fleet. Later, it would serve in Sangheili operations against Y'Deio, Oth Sonin, Balaho, and other Covenant Loyalist-controlled star systems until it was eventually retired from service a final time in 2555, where it was settled on Uhtua, one of the moons of Te, to become a Lekgolo colony. After the end of the Great Schism, the Purity of Spirit would become a focal point for Lekgolo-Sangheili diplomatic relations, and would eventually become the Sangheili embassy for Te, facilitating trade and defense arrangements against the Covenant Remnant. Quotes * "I have seen many ships, but none so impressive as the Spirit in action. The Jiralhanae ships looked like tiny fish, trying to attack a Leviathan - and were rewarded for their troubled with a hail of plasma and laser fire. So much for the ferocity of the Jiralhanae." * "I was stationed with my Legion on Doisac, in a peacekeeping role. At nights, we could see the flashes of plasma torpedoes, and the eruptions of dozens of ships. Even the Unggoy would cheer with each flash. But the Jiralhanae stayed silent, neither eager nor mournful. Merely watchful." * "Four plasma torpedo launchers, a dozen pulse-laser turrets, and a single energy projector - nowhere near as much firepower as an Assault Carrier, but certainly more compact." * "I must be one of the few humans who got aboard one of these things and survived - it was full of worm-things, dripping orange ichor. It was like a Flood hive, but more solid, and less disgusting. I'd be glad never to be invited back - except I'm the UNSC-Sangheili diplomatic attache! :( " Category:Specops306 Category:War of Vengeance Category:Covenant ships Category:Battlecruisers